Stumping for Pakatan in Johor, Anwar says rivals joined forces against him because his govt is tough on corruption
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed that certain political parties were joining forces to bring him down because his administration has taken a firm stance against corruption and abuse of power.
Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, said the MADANI govt’s uncompromising approach towards those who steal public funds or abuse their positions for personal gain had made certain quarters uneasy.
“That is why, as you can see now, all these parties are joining forces to bring me down. Why? Because they know we are strict. They know we safeguard everything,” he said while speaking at the PMX Meet-and-Greet programme for the Senggarang state constituency in conjunction with the Johor state election here today.
Also present was PH Communications director, who is also Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
Anwar said he was not intimidated by the political pressure, as his administration’s guiding principle was clear — to ensure that leaders did not abuse their power to acquire land, secure projects, obtain shares or accumulate personal wealth.
He said that despite making numerous visits to Johor as Prime Minister, he had never taken any land, projects or shares in the state.
“I have come to Johor dozens of times. Did I take any land? No. Did I take any projects? No. Did I take any shares? No. We must instil this principle in our elected representatives. If we want a prosperous state, we must uphold integrity,” he said.
In this regard, Anwar called on Johor voters to give PH the opportunity to govern the state in order to bring about more comprehensive change, particularly in improving public welfare and ensuring clean governance.
He said Johor should have a state govt that is aligned with the federal govt so that development initiatives and assistance programmes for the people could be implemented more effectively.
The Prime Minister said that although Johor had received billions of ringgit worth of development projects, there were still fundamental issues affecting the people that required attention, including housing, roads, mosques, surau, places of worship and assistance for those in need.
“Development is progressing, with projects worth billions of ringgit, yet houses remain unaffordable for ordinary people. That is the responsibility of the state govt. It has not done enough. Johor is a wealthy state. We do not want only a small group to become rich while the majority of the people remain poor,” he said.
Anwar also defended PH’s cooperation with DAP, stressing that throughout his three-and-a-half years as Prime Minister, DAP representatives in the Cabinet had never opposed programmes benefiting the Malays or Islam.
“I have been Prime Minister for three and a half years, and not once have DAP ministers in the Cabinet opposed any programme for the Malays or Islam. You can check the record,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said he was deeply touched by the enthusiastic turnout of PH supporters in Senggarang, describing it as extraordinary, as many had waited under the hot sun to attend the programme.
“The spirit in Senggarang is extraordinary. Even under the scorching sun, the people were willing to wait. Rarely have I seen such enthusiasm at one of my ceramah despite the heat,” he said, while urging voters in Senggarang, Rengit and Penggaram to give their full support to PH candidates in the Johor state election.
The Johor state election has drawn 172 candidates contesting 56 state seats. Polling is scheduled for July 11, while early voting will be held this Tuesday (July 7).
For the latest news on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/. — Bernama
[Source: Malay Mail]
